1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems and methods for identifying digital objects. More specifically, the invention relates to systems and methods that use digital object fingerprints to identify digital objects. Such systems and methods can be used to track, monitor and filter identified digital objects.
2. Discussion of the Background
There exists a need to identify, track, monitor and filter digital objects. As used herein, the term “digital object” refers to any message (i.e., any set of data). For example, any file stored on a computer's hard drive is a digital object. Similarly, the entire set of data stored on the hard drive can be considered a digital object. As another example, a set of bits (i.e., one or more bits) stored in a record or field of a database can be considered a digital object.
One example environment where it is important to identify digital objects is a high-security computing environment. In a high-security computing environment, only “trusted” digital objects should be stored on a secured computer (an example of an un-trusted digital object is a file that includes code implementing a virus). In order to determine whether a digital object is trusted, one must first identify the digital object and then, based on the identification, determine whether the digital object is trusted.
Accordingly, there is a need for systems and methods that can identify, track, monitor and/or filter digital objects.